Rated one of Pennsylvania's top blog/sites, the LuLac Political Letter delves into issues of politics on all levels (with special concentration on Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties: thus the name LULAC) and pop culture.
The LuLac Political Letter was also named Best Political Blog of the Year for 2014 by NEPA BLOGCON and most recently David Yonki was named Best Blogger of the year 2015 by the publication Diamond City.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

The LuLac Edition #2565, November 20th, 2013

JFK 50 YEARS ON

THE KENNEDY INDUSTRY

Probably no politician has done more for the American economy than John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Right from the start of his political career, the photogenic bachelor sold magazines by the bushel. When Kennedy took a bride, 13 years his junior there was added scrutiny by the media. During his Presidential campaigns, Kennedy pumped tons of money into advertising entities. His campaign inundated the landscape with ads, posters, newspaper flyers as well as billboards. Of course there was also TV.

After the election, the big picture magazines like Life, Look and the Saturday Evening Post had a field day covering the Kennedy clan. There were reprints of his book “Profiles In Courage” as well as stories about the toddler Kennedy children. Thanks to poster 9:08 PM, we've unearthed this vintage novelty record.

During the administration, a young comic caught on fire when he did a best selling album lampooning the Kennedy clan. The album, the First Family by Vaughan Meader became a best seller. Beauty shops started featuring Jackie Kennedy hairstyles and before long many young teenagers and women in America had the Jackie “do”. It wasn’t until after his death that the Kennedy industry began in earnest. Books chronicling the assassination came hot off the presses.

Newspapers were sold for years after at prices that well exceeded the cost of the original November 22nd and 23rd edition. This Friday The New York Daily News will offer the same edition it produced fifty years ago.

The biggest selling magazines were those that had exclusive assassination subjects.

A Kennedy Half Dollar was minted and there were warnings of hoarding.
When doubts began to spring up over the Warren Commission Report, a cottage industry presented itself with various conspiracy books.

In the winter of 1964 the Beatles were riding the wave of popularity and there was a set of black and white collector cards. They were selling well until the Kennedy cards came on the market featuring the slain President in various poses.
There were Kennedy comic books, Kennedy life stories and on the weekend of Thanksgiving in 1963 even Kennedy prayer cards that were distributed in Roman Catholic Churches across America.

There have been thousands of books written about John Kennedy. Thousands of Kennedy commutative plaques, trinkets, and mementos.

Television and the movies weighed in with various subject matters that guaranteed big sales and ratings. The President was an industry unto himself when he was alive. In death, the fascination of this imperfect man fueled the economy for the last fifty years. Given the financial track record, it is not inconceivable to assume that the Kennedy industry will keep on churning along on the way to the 100th anniversary of his death. As we get closer to the day he died, it would not surprise me that if someone took every Kennedy artifact and book that was made in the world and gathered them one at a time, that inventory would fill several buildings the size of the Book Depository Building.

MEDIA MATTERS

Area news broadcast icon David DeCosmo.

Former WARM and WTOP broadcaster Tom Woods.

DECOSMO/WOODS REMEMBER JFK ON WILK

Tune in tomorrow morning when David DeCosmo and Tom Woods speak about their remembrances of the day John F. Kennedy died. Both Join Webster and Nancy on WILK Radio.

About Me

Political analyst for WBRE TV's Pa. Live program and post election commentator for WBRE TV's Eyewitness News Daybreak show. Author of the book "A Radio Story/We Wish You Well In Your Future Endeavors" and "Leges Vitae" "26 Rules of Life" and the new novel, "Weather Or Knot". The blog editor also writes various news articles and columns as well as upcoming literary projects. The blog editor was a frequent guest on WYOU TV'S INTERACTIVE NEWSCASTS when political issues were discussed on the national, state and local level. Yonki was a weekly panelist on WYLN TV 35's Friday Topic A program. He also appeared on the Hazleton, PA. station on Election Night doing coverage and did special projects and stories for WYLN TV 35's 10PM Newscast "Late Edition".